HYDRA Rising
by Mr. Oliver Queen
Summary: HYDRA has infiltrated A.R.G.U.S, but our heroes dont know. Olivers quest for answers has him cross paths with the mysertious Black Widow. Takes place after Season 2 and after CA:TWS. There might be some S3 spoilers so yeah. Might see The Winter Soldier make an appearance. A number of DC characters show up. Crappy summary, just check it out. I swear its good.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I got a bit of writers block for Justice League: Year One. Mix that with reading Avenging Arrow by remerkaba, and wanting to make a story that would explore what happened after the events of Winter Soldier, produced this. Special thanks to **remerkaba**, **NeoTyson**, and **GoddessofDawn7843** for their help. I will update JL:YO when the muse comes to me. If you have any ideas for it PM me. Remember to review, so I know how people like this.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective owners, I only own the story.

* * *

Oliver was sitting in his chair in the office, feeling very proud. He just got his family's company back, Starling City is being rebuilt, but now, he's alone. He did have Team Arrow (which became his surrogate family), but he didn't have someone special. In a way, it was his fault. In an effort to protect Felicity, he pushed her into the arms of another man. She never left the team, and was still there for Oliver, evident by her continuing to be his Executive Assistant.

A few hours ago, Felicity reminded him that a reporter from The Daily Planet in Metropolis would be coming by for an exclusive interview. He had been interviewed so many times in his life, it would almost be strange if it _didn't_ happen.

Ten minutes later, as he was looking over some paperwork, the reporter walked into his office. She was about 5'8", had dark brown hair that went to her shoulder blades, and had an amazing smile.

"Hi, I'm Lois Lane from the Planet."

Oliver promptly stood up and smoothed out the front of his suit jacket and offered her a seat. "Nice to meet you Miss Lane. How are you?"

She sat down and crossed her legs before she began. "I'm fine, thank you. First question: How does it feel to have your company back?"

Oliver smiled at that. Whenever he was interviewed in the past year, it was always to ask him how it was to be CEO. "It feels wonderful. After light was she'd on what Miss Rochev was using the company for, I was appalled. I signed over temporary CEOship to her, because I believed it was in capable hands. But I'm back and ready to start anew."

Lois jotted down his response with a quickness. Just being in the same room with the one and only Oliver Queen was sort of a dream come true. After he came home from being presumed dead for five years, everyone needed the scoop. "How have you been holding up since the recent tragedy?"

Olivers mood slightly soured. He tried his best not to dwell on the fact that his sister is gone and that his mother is dead. Apparently she noticed the pain in his eyes. "I'm doing my best. Its been hard without my family. I just hope that I can honor their memory by stepping up and being the person they saw in me."

Again, she wrote down his response. She was now mentally preparing to ask a deeply personal question. She took a deep breath and asked. "Now, this is a more personal question. You don't have to answer it if it makes you feel uncomfortable; What exactly happened to you on that island?"

He immediately tensed up. The topic on his tenure on Lian Yu was brought up almost every single time he ran into the paparazzi. He wasn't sure if he was ready yet to talk about it.

Noticing his tension, she tried to change the subject. "If this is a hard question for you, we can skip it and move on."

Oliver shook his head and offered her a smile. "No its fine. In 2007, I went with my father on his yacht for a trip to China. I brought my gurlfriends sister with me, but I'm not proud of my actions. On the third night, the boat was caught in a terrible storm that ripped the boat in two. My girlfriends sister was thought to be dead, and I swam to a lifeboat my father was in. There, he told me that I was going to be the one to survive this, so he. So he. He shot himself." Oliver took a minute to gather Hus bearings, and stole a glance at the beautiful reporter in front of him. She seemed so enthralled by his story, so he continued. "After a day or so of floating around, I happened onto an island called 'Lian Yu' which is Mandarin for 'purgatory'. Soon after, I was kidnapped by, the uh, the islands inhabitants and torured-"

He lied about some details, just to make sure no heat was put on him about exactly what happened. "That's enough for that question. I am truly sorry for what happened to you."

He again, sent her a genuine smile. "Its quite alright. If none of that happened, I wouldn't be here right now. My father ssaw something in me, and believed in me. He wanted me to live because he knew I could better this city."

She flipped the page of her memo, completely mesmerized by his tragic story and how handsome he is. "What's your opinion on the recent dissolution of S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"What happened was a travesty. I couldn't believe it. How could a terrorist organization be operating behind the scenes and be pulling the strings on a department that's sole purpose is to protect the U.S and its people? I thought things like that only happened in movies."

After Lois finished writing down his answer and a few more notes, she stood up and ahook his hand. "Thank you very much for your time Mister Queen."

Oliver shook her hand. "No problem. Let me walk you to your car."

He couldn't very well deny it because otherwise, he'd be lying. Lois Lane was a very beautiful woman. The way she carried herself gave her an air of sophistication and independence. "Let me get a driver to take you to your hotel." He stepped away to call his driver. He walked back to her and just revelled in her beauty. "So Muss Lane, how long are you staying in Starling City?"

Lois raised an eyebrow at his question. "Now Mr. Queen, why would you want to know that?" A smile played on her lips.

He let out a soft chuckle and shoved his hands unto his pockets. "I wanted to know, so I could take you out to dinner before you left."

As she was about to respond, a deafening sound was heard, and she noticed how Oliver fell to the ground clutching his chest. She dropped to her knees to see what happened. As she moved the side of his jacket, she noticed a bullet wound two inches from his heart.

"Someone help!"

* * *

Oliver woke up three days later in the hospital. He looked around the room and saw Digg, Felicity, Roy, and Laurel. He was about to close his eyes again, but the two females all but charged at him.

"Oh God Oliver. We thought you died!" Felicity exclaimed as she stopped hugging him.

"Yeah we did. We have been her for-"

Laurel was cut off when someone entered the room. Oliver suppressed a smile when he noticed that it was the beautiful reporter. "Miss Lane. What are you doing here?"

The group took this as the signal to give them some privacy, so they shuffled out. All that was left in the room was Oliver, Lois, and a growing attraction.

Lois sat down in a chair next to the bed and looked into his eyes. "I just wanted to check on you. You know, make sure you were alright."

Oliver grabbed her hand, which stunned her. "I'm alright, thank you." It slowly became awkward, and Oliver released her hand, diminishing the contact he had with her soft flesh. "So, did you publish the interview?"

She tucked a strand of her behind her ear before replying. "Yeah, it is the front page report."

Oliver just stared into her soft brown eyes, becoming entranced by her. "He snapped himself out of it. "So?" He asked, as if she was supposed to know what he was talking about.

She just offered him a puzzled look. "So, what?"

"So, you never answered my question?"

Thinking back to the other day, after the interview, she remembered. "I'm actually being transferred to the Starling City Chronicle."

Despite the situation he was in, Oliver found it in himself to smile.

* * *

Brock Rumlow.

He was the man who took a shot at Oliver. Felicity was able to trace the round at the crime scene back to this guy. Brock Rumlow, now going by Crossbones, was a former S.H.I.E.L.D operative who was secretly working for HYDRA. They got the location of his whereabouts after Felicity traced a signal he used to contact his superiors.

To say that things were tense in the Arrowcave would be understatement of the century. Ever since their 'I love you' and subsequent fallout, things have been pretty awkward. Sure Oliver and Felicity would play it off like nothing happened, but Digg, Roy and now, Laurel, could definitely see the awkwardness. Something needed to be done about it, so Oliver took initiative.

He got off the salmon ladder after fifteen ascensions, and grabbed a towel. He dried off the sweat that clung to him, and took a drink from his water bottle. "Hey Felicity, can I talk to you for a second?"

She looked over and nodded, albiet confused, and walked over to him. "What's up? Roy is already on his way to the warehouse. He just finished another round of patrol."

Oliver took a very deep breath and lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

Those two words meant so much to her. He unknowingly hurt her, but she really couldn't blame him for something he didn't know he even did. But the fact of the matter is that he broke her heart, and here he is apologizing for it.

He took her uncharacteristic silence as an urge to continue, so he did. "Everything that happened, to us, I'm sorry. Hurting you was never my intention. I'm just glad to see that you're happy and I want you to know that I will always be here for you. I just want things to go back to the way they were. Can you forgive me?"

Instead of answering, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was gonna miss this. She held it for a few more seconds before she kissed him on the cheek and walked back to her 'sanctuary'.

"I already have."

* * *

The Glades.

Why wasn't Oliver surprised? Every criminal in the city uses the Glades as their 'base'. And he just had to add to the cliché by operating out of a warehouse. Oliver scanned the area around the warehouse. He and Roy were atop a cliff that overlooked Rumlows warehouse.

"Arrow to Genesis." Oliver started into the comms. He (and by he, he meant Felicity) had Felicity and Digg come up with cool nicknames. Felicity chose 'Genesis'.

On the other end, Genesis let out a faint chuckle that only someone with an acute sense of hearing could hear. "Man I love that name. Oh yeah, uh, Arrow, what do you need?"

Oliver sighed and shook his head. "Arsenal and I are outside the warehouse. We're going dark."

With that, he and Roy turned their communicator's off. He turned to Roy who was checking his quiver and the magazine of his pistol. "We're going non lethal. Switch to rubber bullets." Oliver didn't like that Roy started using firearms, but he couldn't very well stop him without Roy leaving.

Roy readied a zip line arrow and shot it towards the warehouse below them. Roy went first and Oliver followed. There were no signs of enemy movement outside, so they crept along the edge of the warehouse until they reached a side entrance.

Since they landed, Oliver felt as if he was being followed. His training on the island, and that as an operative for A.R.G.U.S, honed his senses to theit utmost peak. So when he heard the faint sound of footsteps, he notched an arrow and aimed it at the leather clad woman that stood before him. "Who are you?"

She slowly put her pistol away and raised her arms. "A friend."

Oliver closely observed this woman who claims to be his friend. She was a little bit shorter than Lois, but he assumed she was much shorter due to the boots she had on. Her hair was red, and slightly curled, and ended at her shoulders. She was Aldo strikingly beautiful.

Not backing down, he asked again, only this time, he sounded even more intimidating. "Who are you?"

The woman with her leather catsuit slightly unzipped, started to grow patient. She knew however, that he wouldn't immediately trust her. "Natasha Romanoff, but I'd rather you call me Black Widow."

Oliver still didn't lower his bow. He started his communicator up, and contacted the resident IT girl. "Genesis. Run the name 'Natasha Romanoff' through any federal database."

On hid end the clacjing of computer keys was heard. "Natasha Romanoff. Born 1980 in Russia. She is a former KGB operative who defected and started to work for S.H.I.E.L.D before the whole issue with HYDRA. Every major US agency has a file on her, though most of it is covered in ink. It says that she helped take down HYDRA, so she can be trusted."

Oliver trusted ever member of the Team with his life, more so with Felicity, so if she told him to trust a former KGB spy, than he would. He lowered his bow and put the arrow back in its quiver. "Why are you here?"

Happy that the situation was under control, Agent Romanoff responded. "After S.H.I.E.L.D went under, I started going solo and tracking down HYDRA agents on my own. Rumlow has Intel I need on my next target."

"After I find out who put a hit out on Oliver Queen, you can have him." Oliver said it as an order.

Natasha inwardly smiled when he referred to himself in the third person. She knew who he was, because S.H.I.E.L.D had a dossier on him in their archives before it dissolved.

"That's fine."

The lights flickered around the warehouse as the three moved in. Oliver sent Roy to scout up top, while he and Black Widow would cover the ground floor. Up top, there were five guards. Roy took out the closest three in rapid succession with a knockout tipped arrow. He attached the silencer onto his pitol and fired two rubber bullets that hit the last two I'm the neck, effectively knocking them unconscious. Roy moves to a perch overlooking the ground floor.

"Empty up top, and down there save for the target."

Oliver readied an arrow, and Natasha pulled the slide of her pistol back, loading the ammunition into the chamber. From his position, Roy overlooked the entire area that Rumlow was.

Before Oliver and Natasha could apprehend Rumlow, he started to fire at them. Natasha tackled Oliver to the side, and he had a confused look on his face, since her cleavage was right in his face. She quickly stood up and offered him a hand. He ran behind a crate and Black Widow went being a pillar. She started to blind fure , hoping that she would hit him, but the continuation of automatic gunfire squashed those hopes.

"Draw his fire so I can get a shot." Oliver ordered into the communicator. Not a second later, Crossbones was starting to focus his fire on Roy, which gave the Arrow an opening.

Oliver quickly shot an arrow, and knocked the rifle from Rumlow's hand. He quickly charged at him and engaged in fisticuffs. Oliver punched Rumlow in the jaw. Rumlow was caught off guard, so he couldn't deflect, but he did manage to get a combo on Oliver. He kneed him in the stomach and uppercut Oliver. Natasha quickly ran into the fight and roundhouses Rumlow, knocking him out.

Oliver stood up, hood down, and swiped the dust off of his jacket and pants. There was a slight trickle of blood emanating from the corner of Olivers mouth. "Thank you." Oliver then got in contact with the Foundry. "Alright Shaft, we're ready for pickup."

Digg said an inaudible curse. "Alright, I'm on my way. When this us done, we gotta talk about this nickname."

"Hand me an arrow." Natasha ordered Oliver, and he handed her one since he was starting to trust her. She took it and made small incision in Rumlow's hand. She then pulled out a small microchip and shot it. "Didn't want HYDRA tracking us."

Roy then smiled. "I like this girl."

* * *

They four of them, plus an unconscious Rumlow, walked into the Clocktower. Felicity was busy typing away when they entered.

"Get him restrained."

He was tied to a chair when he awoke. There was a piece of duct tape over his mouth, and he had a blindfold over his eyes. He smirked when the items were removed. "Looks like I didn't get my target."

No one faltered when he all but revealed that he knew Olivers identity. They decided not to feed into it, so Oliver started the interrogation. "Who ordered the hit on Oliver Queen?"

In response Rumlow scoffed. "Do you really think that HYDRA doesn't know who you are?" Oliver punched him in the jaw, and watched Rumlow spit out blood. "Do your worst. Its nothing compared to what HYDRA would do to me for revealing any secrets."

Oliver stepped back and fixed his glove. Taking a deep breath, he walked back forward to the assassin. "Tell me what I want to know, and I'll stop."

Rumlow realized that he is only delaying his inevitable end at the hand of HYDRA. So he relented. "I dont know the woman's name, but she goes by 'The Wall'. She's some higher up who only the Directors know. She had an associate bring me the contract and your dossier. I was kinda surprised when it said the Oliver Queen is the Arrow. Apparently, she needed you out of the way so she wouldn't have any disruptions in her plan. I swear that's all I know."

Pleased with what he heard, he motioned for Diggle to use a sedative on him. "Call Lyla and get him to A.R.G.U.S."

Oliver walked off slightly to think. Who was 'The Wall'? She must've known him somehow, but how? So many different questions ran through his mind when Natasha walked up to him. "How are you?" Her question was asked with genuine concern.

"I'm fine." Stubborn as always.

Natasha stood in front of him, with a hand planted on her hip. "What is it?"

Oliver sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "A long time ago, an old friend once told me that the people I work for are not who they seem. With everything that's going on, and with HYDRA controlling S.H.I.E.L.D, I think I knew what he meant."

She had her eyebrow raised, not fully catching on to what he was saying. "Who did you work for?"

"A.R.G.U.S. When I was stuck on the island, I was eventually rescued by Amanda Waller, who had me trained to be an A.R.G.U.S spy and assassin. I killed people that were deemed threats, but I never truly knew..." He drifted off, being caught in his own thoughts.

"When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a ballerina. When I was five, my parents were killed, and I was kidnapped. At the age of eight, I was trained in a facility calles the 'Red Room' where girls would train from childhood to adulthood to be the perfect assassin. I axheived the highest honor, becoming a Black Widow." She lowered her head and started to tap her thumbs together. "What I'm trying to get at is that o know where you're coming from. If you need to talk, I'm here." She stood up and walked away.

Lyla Michaels walked into the clocktower and looked at the unconscious man strapped to a chair. "This him?"

Diggle nodded, and kissed her goodbye.

* * *

Heels clicked along the concrete floor. The woman whose heels belonged to, was slightly upset about her plans being set back. She always kept her composure, because in the field, composure is the key to success.

The woman stopped in front of a prison cell and observed the chained man inside. This is the one who failed. She thought to herself as she looked over him.

"Brock Rumlow?" The woman called.

The man raised his head slightly, just enough to see her face. She was African American and had her hair pulled back into a ponytail of sorts. She wore a pale gray skirt that ended at her knees with a matching blazer and a black shirt underneath. She also wore black heels. "Look, I told the guys that tortured me for five hours straight that I don't know anything." His voice cracked, and it mmadeher lips twitch into a small smile.

She stood there like a statue, not moving except to breath. "It pains me to know that you failed your assignment. You do know the penalty for failure correct?" Her voice was dripping with venom that she disguised pretty well.

Rumlow slightly nodded, waiting for him to be executed. Seeing him prepare himself for his end only made her grin widen.

"Today is your lucky day. I still have use for you." Her voice was calm yet terrifying." She never moved from that one spot.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Amanda Waller. But you can call me The Wall."

* * *

AN2: I loved writing this, and I hope you guys like it! Please review so I know the general consensus. I can handle constructive criticism, so yeah. Peace!

P.S.: I'm leaving the romantic pairing up to you. In your review (or PM), tell me who you would like Oliver to be with.

•Oliver/Natasha

•Oliver/Lois

Pick one and let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey guys, remember me? I'm so sorry for the really late update. I have been working on other stories as well as trying to get a job. As for the story, I know things may feel rushed, but it only seems like that because i'm trying to set up the plot. I have the beginning and the end, but I need to come up with the story. The chapter you see is very different from the one in my notebook. As I was typing, so many different things popped into mind, so I changed it, and I hope you like it!

Just to clear things up, the only movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the Winter Soldier, because I want it to still be realistic. I want to thank everyone who followed and Favorited the story, it means a lot. And a thanks to the two people who reviewed. Reviews are rewarded with cookies and punch! Oh yeah, if it's italicized that means it's a dream.

* * *

A lone figure was still. He was overlooking the hustle and bustle of the city below him from a Gothic gargoyle that was placed on a large tower. This is only the third week since he has been home, but things still seem so foreign. It's been eight years since he has been in Gotham City, since that fateful night. He already accepted what had happened, but part of him could never forgive _him _for not taking revenge. God knows he wanted to be mad, but he just couldn't. It was her fault, she turned him into a big softie. She broke down all of those emotional barriers he built up so he could protect those close to him, if they were lucky enough to get close.

He spent eight years perfecting himself, turning himself into a living weapon. He spent eight years under the guidance of a three hundred year old society that trained the League of Assassins. Eight Years went to planning his revenge against his so-called father. All he wanted to do was see Bruce suffer, but now after meeting _her, _he couldn't do it.

The man leapt from the gargoyle and landed on a small balcony that was attached to the building. He was on his way back to the Bat-cave when a bullet flew right past him. He quickly unholstered two Sig Sauer P226's and turned around. Behind him, a group of soldiers all wearing tactical gear with Urban Digital camouflage had their weapons pointed at him.

He fought valiantly, and killed about fifteen of the twenty soldiers that were sent after him. He was only incapacitated due to a soldier sneaking around and traunq'd him.

One soldier stood above the unconscious man, and stared at the red bat splayed on the chest of his armor."Crossbones to Mockingbird."

"Go Crossbones." Amanda Waller said from the safety of the A.R.G.U.S Facility in Starling City.

"We have Red Hood."

* * *

"Guys!" Felicity called to the team. Her voice was filled with panic, and Oliver was the first one to reach her. There was a message on her screen that Oliver couldn't figure out. Everyone else came over and wore puzzled looks on their faces. "A, uh, friend of mine sent a distress signal from Gotham City."

Oliver furrowed his brows. He and Felicity are good now, but when she said "friend", he got a sick feeling in his stomach. "Who's the friend?" His gaze never left her.

She felt a lump in her throat as she was about to answer that question. She knew she'd have to tell him eventually, but she never thought it would happen so soon. "Ja-Jason Todd. And he's not a friend so much as he's my..." She paused, "...my boyfriend." She looked at Oliver and noticed the hurt in his eyes.

Oliver did his best to hold back whatever it was that made him sick to his stomach. She was his friend, and he would help her, no matter the circumstance. "Any footage?" He asked, trying to sound unphased by the revelation she dropped on him.

She nodded, and started typing away at her computer and brought up video footage from the location the distress signal originated from. It showed a man in a red helmet fighting off almost twenty armed operatives. She winced whenever someone landed a hit on Jason.

Natasha looked closer at the footage, she was obviously on to something, but no one else caught on. "Zoom in one the soldier standing above your friend."

Felicity did as told and pressed a button on her keyboard and a man wearing a mask that had a large skull printed on it. She zoomed in on the other soldiers after noticing something. "What is Crossbones doing with A.R.G.U.S ?"

Oliver sighed and brought his hand down his face. "A.R.G.U.S has a track record of using criminals to do their dirty work."

Roy scoffed at that. "I swear, Amanda Waller has a stick up her ass." He then went over to the training area and started to attack poor defenseless dummies.

Everyone silently agreed with his statement. Oliver, Digg, Natasha and Laurel went to formulate a plan on how to spring the infamous assassin, Red Hood, from an A.R.G.U.S prison. Only one plan circulated throughout the group, but Oliver - the one who came with it - supported it.

"I don't like it." Felicity heard Laurel state after the plan was presented. Laurel was very, very, very against this plan.

Felicity walked over to figure out what they came up with, but if Laurel didn't like it, it means Oliver was going to do something rash. She observed the looks of the group. Laurel looked angry, Digg looked indifferent, Natasha seemed to be the only one to agree with Oliver. "What have you guys got?" Felicity asked the group and Laurel walked off.

Oliver sighed and ran rubbed the back of his neck. He should've known that they would not approve of it. "Sometime next week, after we finish planning, we are going to let Lyla take me in. From there-"

"Take you in? What do you mean? Like a visit?" Felicity was completely unable to think of what Oliver truly meant by being "taken in".

He grabbed her shoulders, hoping that she would calm down and let him explain himself. "As a prisoner Felicity." Despite what he was proposing, he was surprisingly calm.

She grew wide eyed at what he said to her. She hoped to the higher being that she heard him wrong, but the reactions from Laurel and DIgg had proved otherwise. Realizing all the things that could go wrong if something went sideways, she marched off.

Oliver decided to give her some space to soak up what he told her; she was already having a bad day, and he didn't want her to explode.

Roy walked over with a towel draped over his shoulder and a water bottle in hand. He has been training extremely hard to be almost as good as Oliver. Roy has a tough exterior, but deep down, he wants to be accepted by Oliver. "Why not till next week."

"I have a date tomorrow."

* * *

Natasha has been sleeping at the Arrowcave since she became an honorary member of the team four days ago. Since coming to Starling City and meeting its resident archer, feelings began to resurface, and she started to miss Clint. It's been a year since Clint died, but to her it felt like yesterday. Her eyes started to sting as she gripped the arrowhead pendant he gave her.

Oliver...intrigued her. He was dark, mysterious, broody, and quite handsome. He also had a dark past, just as she does. What she found the most interesting is how he is seemingly two different people. The first is Oliver Queen the partier, womanizer and playboy. The other is Oliver Queen the selfless hero (he doesn't like to be called that) who was willing to put his life on the line for those who don't know him, and both persona's have been under public scrutiny.

She was training in the Foundry when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Natasha furrowed her brows, wondering who could be here at two in the morning. Oliver hadn't noticed her, or so she thought as she snuck into a position that would conceal her presence.

Oliver smiled slightly to himself. "You can come out Natasha."

Despite being found out, she walked over with a smirk on her face. "Can't sleep either?"

He lowered his gaze to the floor, thinking about everything that has been plaguing his mind. Thea, Tommy, Moira...Felicity. "Nightmares make sleep impossible." There was pain in his eyes that he tried to mask, but no matter how hard he tried, she could see right through it.

Natasha stepped forward, closing some space between them and looked at him. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Oliver let out a sad chuckle. "I don't want to put that burden on you."

The red haired assassin cocked an eyebrow at him inferring that she couldn't handle it. "Trust me, i'll be fine. I'm a big girl."

"One year ago, my best friend, my brother, was killed. A few weeks before, The Arrow was put in a position where someone was going to die, so he revealed his identity to Tommy, and it devastated him. To Tommy, I was just like him, carefree, rich, and could bag any girl I wanted. So he had called me a serial killer, and he told me he wished that I had died on the island." It was very obvious, even though he tried not to, that he wanted to cry. But he didn't he had an image of being a stoic hero who never let emotions cloud his judgement and always saved the day. "Every time I close my eyes, that's all I see. I see how I have failed at my duty as the city's protector. I failed to prevent the Undertaking, I watched as my city burned at the hands of someone who I called brother." He took a deep breath, to keep his emotions in check. "Everyone here, thinks that i can handle my stuff, but the truth is, I am always on the verge of breaking down. But the team looks up to me, I can't let them down."

He had an incredible burden to carry, she compared him to Atlas, the man who carried the world on his back.

She hugged him.

It was a move she made before she even knew what she was doing. He was just as taken aback by the gesture as she was, but he put an arm around her.

She quickly moved back, and heat rushed to her cheeks. She was so confused at her action, but at the time she felt like it was the right thing to do. "I'm sorry, I don't usually do things like that."

Oliver smiled at her, "She really is something." He thought to himself. He then focused his gaze on a heap of blankets and a pillow on the floor. "Vy byli spat' zdes' ?"(1)

Just when she thought she had figured him out, he throws her a fast ball, and catches her off guard. "Vy govorite po-russki ?"(2)

Oliver chuckled at her. "Da. Drug v Bratva nauchil menya, kogda ya stal kapitan."(3)

She smiled at him, she hasn't done that in a while. Not since Clint...But whats done is done. She has to take down HYDRA now, that is her duty. "I have only been staying here until I find a permanent place."

He smirked at her then stood up. "Come on, pack your bags." He walked over to her blankets and set them aside. When she only offered him a look of utter confusion, he reiterated. "You are staying at the Manor."

She let out an awkward chuckle at his offer. "I'm fine where I am until I find a place of my own." She then moved back to get her blankets but he grabbed her arms softly to stop her. "I appreciate the offer but i won't intrude."

"I know, it isn't an intrusion." He kicked the blankets back and grabbed her arm again, but he wasn't expecting what came next.

She grabbed his arm and flipped him and made him land on his back, but he quickly got back up and got her into a loose choke hold which she countered. He was now in the choke hold, but he was able to slide out from her grip and grabbed her arms and pulled them around so it looked like she was hugging herself. "That's not nice."

"Fine." She muttered and grabbed her stuff.

* * *

Wow.

That was the first word to come to mind when she stepped into the Queen Manor. It was mostly untouched from the incident with Slade, and now that he has his company back, he was able to return home.

Oliver smiled and rubbed the back of his neck at the look on her face. She was in awe. She has seen many mansions in her time as a spy and assassin, but this took the cake.

He picked up her bags, which she said she could carry, and led her to the guest bedroom that she will be using. She was trained to remain calm and indifferent in every situation, but looking at the bedroom caused her mouth to gape a bit.

The room was beautifully designed, with wine colored walls. The floor was a honey colored hard wood that had an apricot colored area rug. To the left of the room was a queen sized sleigh bed with a jet black comforter and rust colored throw pillows. To the right, there was a large fireplace with a tan love seat positioned in front of it. Next to the love seat, was an evergreen club chair that was positioned diagonally from the fireplace and love seat. And right by the entrance was a large oak desk.

Natasha couldn't say anything, she was only dumbfounded on how kind he was being to her after only just meeting her not a week before. It shows how much he cares for the members of the team, who he dubs "my family".

Oliver set the bags down on the bed, then turned to the scarlet haired assassin. "I know the room is kinda small," That was a lie, it was huge. "but i couldn't bring myself to enter Thea's or my mom's room."

Natasha thought back to the conversation they had in the Arrowcave, and she truly felt sorry that he had to carry the burden alone. Like Fyers, she was trained to study the eyes, because the eyes don't lie. By looking in your eyes, she could know the truth. "The room is perfect." She stated matter-of-factly.

Oliver offered a small smile before heading out of the room. "If you need anything, my room is down the hall to the left."

She put her things away and drifted off into sleep's embrace.

* * *

_The cool wind nipped at his nose, he could tell that autumn was nearing. A few miles back, he found a deer and has been chasing it since, hoping that he could bag it for dinner for a few days. He doesn't know why, but lately, the animals have been on edge. Off in the distance, he heard the faint noise of a running engine._

_He pulled the hood onto his head, the very thing he wears to honor Shado, and ran towards the noise. It has been three weeks since he has severed his ties with A.R.G.U.S, and three weeks since the operation that caused him to leave._

_He vaulted over a boulder and climbed up the trunk of a tree to get a good view of what was happening. He made sure he was well hidden, and observed the conversation between two men in combat gear._

_"Boss says the guy we need is some guy in a green hood?" One of the soldiers stated while taking a smoke break._

_His friend scoffed. "Like Robin Hood?" He queried, and the smoker nodded._

_Oliver knew now that all these soldiers were here to capture him, so he notched an arrow and aimed. As soon as he was about to loose the arrow, he felt dizzy. He then pulled a tranq dart from his neck and fell to the ground._

_He awoke an unknown amount of time later to find himself chained to a tree. the chain was wrapped around his wrists, and the other end was tied to a thick tree branch. He looked up from the ground, and focused his view on a man that was walking up to him. What he saw made his blood run cold._

_"Slade!"_

_The man wearing a mask that was black and pale orange didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out a machete, and Oliver knew exactly what it was for. Before he could even think of a plan of escape, he felt the cool metal against his flesh. It didn't break skin, Slade used the blunt edge. Without any pretense or warning, Slade slowly plunged the blade into Oliver's stomach, causing him to cry out in agony._

_Blood was flowing, albeit slowly, and Oliver grit his grit. Again, he was cut by the damned blade. This time it was a diagonal slash that started at his left shoulder and ended at the bottom of his left pectoral. But as fast as the whole ordeal began, he felt the mixture of his warm blood and the cool metal slide across his throat, slicing it open._

_Before he lost consciousness, his torturer removed his mask, but it wasn't Slade that was torturing him, it was..._

_"Shado?"_

* * *

Natasha awoke at five thirty to the sound of a man screaming, she heard it come from Oliver's room, so she picked up her USP .45 and pulled back the slide. She crept into the hall, observing any fluctuation in the air, and also listening for any intruders.

The cries got louder as she got closer to Oliver's room. She readied herself for whatever danger that lay behind the door, but when she opened it, she only saw Oliver screaming and writhing on the bed, obviously from a nightmare.

She set her pistol on the nightstand by Oliver's bed, trying to figure out a way to calm him. She knew she'd have to approach this expecting Oliver to attack her in his sleep, a natural defense mechanism. She slowly put her hands on his shoulders to stop him from moving, while also applying enough pressure to keep him from trying to hurt her. "Oliver wake up, its just a nightmare."

He shut up, and she moved back quickly, to put some distance between the two. He was panting and sweating profusely. He looked around to see that he was still in his room, and sighed. "Sorry for waking you."

She sat on the edge of the bed, and rested her hand on his. "It's alright. We couldn't be in our line of work without having nightmares."

Oliver nodded, and stood up. He was only in a pair of pajama bottoms, and no shirt. She took in the sight that were his scars. She never knew exactly how bad it was, only hearing little tidbits from the team. she noticed the tattoo on his chest that signified that he was a Bratva captain. He told her he was going to get a cup of water, and when he left, she saw the dragon tattoo on his shoulder.

He never went back to sleep. Felicity walked into his office, and he was already there. She heard from Natasha what happened, so she knew that he wouldn't have slept. "Hello Mr. Queen." She greeted.

Oliver looked up from a stack of papers to see his E.A -slash- I.T Girl -slash- confidante, standing by his desk. "Oh, hey Felicity." He then went back to looking at the papers.

She knew that he would only talk about it on his own terms, so she went to her desk and started to type away. A few minutes later, Felicity walked back into the office with a message for Oliver. "Mr. Queen, I have a message for you from a Lois Lane?"

Oliver raised his gaze to his EA, and she handed him the paper with the message written on it.

Oliver,

I have some things to go over before dinner, so I'll be ready by seven. Call me 205-659-1485

-Lois

Oliver smiled at the note, because he finally might get his chance at some normalcy.

* * *

AN: Howdy y'all, hope you liked the chapter! Don't forget to review!

**Translations**

(1)-Have you been sleeping here?

(2)- You speak Russian?

(3)-Yes. A friend in the Bratva taught me when I became a captain.


End file.
